Standing firm in the face of fear

We have a good size piece of property, and on the slope behind our house, we have a small creek running through it.

I am not one to go down the slope very often, but my husband does with machete in hand cutting away at the excess growth.

His faithful dog usually follows, and as she did, she came upon a cat. As all dogs do, she began barking at this cat, but what followed was surprising.

The cat did not move nor flinch, despite just being mere inches away from our dog.

While our dog continued barking, the cat continued to ignore her.

The cat would not hiss nor growl, and every once in a while he would look up at our dog, and continue ignoring her.

This when on for approximately a full 30 minutes, until our dog gave up and retreated.

Fear

This cat had absolutely no fear and stood its ground.

This is how we are to treat the enemy and the fiery darts he throws our way.

Life has a way to get in our face and threaten us, but if we just stand firm, evil has to back off.

The enemy comes in a form of sickness, financial lack, family disunity, wayward children and a host of other ways. A lesson I learned a while ago: The enemy is the enemy, and it would be wise to recognize his attacks.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The word tells us we are to resist the devil, but in order to be able to resist him, we need to be submitted to God first. When we submit to God, we have the assurance that He will be with us in our most troubled times. His perfect love for us will cast out all fear.

This cat stood his ground. He did not move or try to run away, and in the end, our dog gave up.

In spiritual warfare, retreat is not an option

When we stand our ground, not allowing the enemy to gain territory in our family, health, finances, and so on, he will eventually tire. We call on our friends and family to lift us up in prayer when we feel the pressure of the battle, and we continue fighting.

Only one party has to back down, and it is the enemy that was defeated on the cross through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.